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‘Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Imporium’ is a movie about 243 year old Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) who is the owner of a magical toy shop. He decided that it is time to leave the business and the planet and give the store up to his prtoege – Mahoney (Natalie Portman). What he didn’t know was that she was about to quit so that she could focus on her piano playing. During the movie Mahoney is trying to convince Mr. Magorium to stay while trying to take care of the annoying accountant Henry (Jason Bateman) who is trying to put all of the store’s finances in order.

First-time director and second-time screenwriter Zach Helm (“Stranger Than Fiction”) loads up on bouncy balls, loud whistles and brightly colored gadgets while not caring much about why Magorium’s leaving or how this store isn’t the talk of the town. Like “Fiction,” it’s an intriguing idea without a payoff, and Henry’s similarity to Will Ferrell’s character in “Fiction” shows that it only takes two movies for a writer to repeat himself.

Between a kid who needs a pal, a stick in the mud who needs to lighten up and a magical store that can only be seen if you believe, “Magorium” churns out family movie clichés that felt familiar 16 years ago in “Hook.” Only a completely cold fish wouldn’t find some giddy enjoyment in the shop’s magical toys, but even kids who love stuffed animals and jumping on beds deserve more than “Magorium” has in stock.